Two of the best defensive teams in the country square off with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line on Thursday when No. 2 seed Michigan squares off against No. 3 seed Texas Tech. Tipoff from the Honda Center is at 9:39 p.m. ET.

Click Here NOW: College Basketball March Madness 2019 LIVE

The Wolverines enter Thursday's 2019 Sweet 16 matchup having won six of their last eight games, while the Red Raiders have gone 11-1 in their last 12. Vegas lists the Wolverines as 1.5-point favorites, with the over-under for total points set at 126.5 in the latest Michigan vs. Texas Tech odds. Before you make any Michigan vs. Texas Tech picks and 2019 NCAA Tournament predictions, see what SportsLine analyst Matt Norlander is picking.Norlander is a national award-winning writer for CBS Sports who has covered college basketball since 2007. From insightful features to weekly game analysis, Norlander covers the sport from every angle. He also co-hosts the popular CBS Sports College Basketball Podcast.And he has developed a knack for picking Texas Tech basketball, made evident by his 3-0 run picking for or against the Red Raiders. Earlier this season, he told readers to take Texas Tech (-4.5) against TCU, saying Texas Tech's defense would be too much for the Horned Frogs to handle. The result: Texas Tech 84, TCU 65 - Norlander nailed exactly how the game would go. Anybody following his picks is up big right now.Now, he has analyzed Texas Tech vs. Michigan from every possible angle and locked in a confident against-the-spread selection. It's only available at SportsLine.Norlander knows Michigan boasts one the nation's stingiest defenses. The Wolverines are holding their opponents to just 58.2 points per game, which ranks second in the country. John Beilein's team is also holding their opponents to an abysmal 39.9 field goal percentage.On offense, Michigan's Ignaz Brazdeikis, Jordan Poole and Charles Matthews are all averaging over 12 points per game and shooting 43 percent or better from the field. That's because their focus is on shot quality on offense, which allows the Wolverines to get high-quality looks.But just because the Wolverines boast a stingy defense and efficient offense doesn't mean they'll cover the Michigan vs. Texas Tech spread on Thursday.Norlander also knows the Red Raiders are one of the hottest teams in the country, going 11-1 straight-up and 10-2 against-the-spread in their last 12 games. In their last game against Buffalo, the Red Raiders had two players record double-doubles and five score at least 10 points. Texas Tech is also strong on the defensive end. In fact, they're giving up just 59.2 points per game this season, good for third nationally. We can tell you Norlander is leaning over, but his much stronger play is on the spread. He's found a critical x-factor that makes one side of the spread hit hard on Thursday. He's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.